ChristianPost.com - Salvation Army Claims Victory in Struggle With Russian Government

October 17, 2006
by  Jennifer Riley
Christian Post Reporter

Salvation Armys Moscow branch won a long court battle against the Russian government over the groups legal status in the country.

After a five-year court struggle, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) unanimously ruled against the Russian state for refusing to approve the Salvation Armys registration application and for labeling it a militarized organization, reported the religious freedom group Forum 18 on Thursday.

The ECHR in Strasbourg, France, ruled on Oct. 5 that Russia must pay SA compensation of 10,000 Euros.

This is an example for other churches in Russia it tells them that they can hope for justice, said Salvation Army Moscows Aleksandr Kharkov to Forum 18 on Oct. 11. We are so glad that such a structure exists somewhere to turn to.

The Salvation Army Moscow case was the first ruling by ECHR on a Russian religious organization. Kharkov and the groups lawyers believe the case will be a precedent for others to follow.

In a statement on the Slavic Center for Law and Justice website on Oct. 6, the SA Moscow branch lawyers called the ECHR decision historic and said the primary impact of the ruling is as an important legal precedent for the defense of citizens and religious organizations constitutional right to freedom of conscience in Russia and Europe as a whole, according to Forum 18.

Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), said in a statement following the courts ruling that the Russian governments discriminatory action against the Salvation Army represents a serious and dangerous attack against religious freedom.

Sekulow, who also serves as chief counsel of the European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ) and the Slavic Center for Law and Justice (SCLJ), stated that the ECHR ruling rejected the Russian states action and [cleared] the way for the Salvation Army to regain its humanitarian footing in Russia - providing much needed assistance and comfort to the people in that country.

The Salvation Army, which has helped the poor in Russia for ten years, had attempted unsuccessfully to settle the conflict outside of the court. However, the Russian government had declared the Salvation Army a subversive paramilitary foreign organization as an excuse in its rejection of the groups re-registration application in 2000.

The Russian government has three months to appeal the courts decision.